Native Grasses for Future Farming is an initiative led by Black Duck Foods, promoting the use of native grains and First Nations expertise in the shift towards more resilient, equitable and sustainable food systems.

In the shift to a low emissions future, deep rooted perennial grasses which are well known sequesters of soil carbon play a crucial role. Future Farming with Native Grasses seeks to make this opportunity a reality, drawing from First Nations expertise, sciences and over 60,000-plus years of agricultural development to reimagine the landscape of contemporary Australia’s sustainable food systems. Contemporary knowledge of Australian native perennial grasses has been limited due to the adoption of European farming systems and foods and the removal of Indigenous Australians from their traditional lands. Future Farming with Native Grasses is charting a way to reintroduce native produce back into the market, whilst increasing access for First Nations peoples to their traditional lands.

The project led by Black Duck Foods in collaboration with local landowners works with local communities to demonstrate the benefits of native grasses and their commercial application. The project deals with the agricultural treatment of native grasses, employing First Nations peoples and practices, and the culinary production of agricultural produce. This demonstrates the value of native grains as a climate conscious source of nutrients, whilst celebrating both First Nations culinary practices and emergent methods in sustainable agroecology.

This text was the result of online research drawing primarily from a Farmers for Climate Action lecture led by Black Duck Food’s Chris Andrew & Jacob Birch, alongside articles published by journals such as Eativitiy.